Villa des Anges at LCBO

One of the first Hexagon Wines products to hit the LCBO Vintages store shelves has sold really well the first week (looks like roughly 4500 of the 12000 ordered).

I spoke to the manager at the LCBO store across the street from Juniper and he's had to re-order from the warehouse given the spectacular sales. He's been helpful in giving it prominent placement in the store.

Leaving Alba

I'm packed up and about to leave Alba. The experience here has been very special and I look forward to coming back. I spent yesterday touring three wineries and have a much better appreciation of this area and the wines that come from it (mainly Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo).

I started yesterday by heading to Cascina Adelaide.

Simone (the winemaker) provided me with a full two-hour tour of their modern facility. I also tried barrel samples of three different vintages to see, from oldest to newest, the progression that the wine makes while in the barrel. Absolutely mind-blowing!

(I had wine from this barrel!!)

(Simone)

I then made my way to Francesco Borgogno (we serve their wine at Juniper), a much more rustic producer.

My final visit of the day was to Enzo Boglietti.

More photos and posts to come later. I've gotta hit the road to make my way to Alessandria to see Luigi Tacchino's operation.

Vinitaly

The first walk to Vinitaly proved to be a long one. I'd printed off a map of the walk from my hotel to the fair grounds. I took a couple of wrong streets but managed to finally reach my destination. The distance was supposed to be about 2km, but that morning I'm sure I covered at least 3km.

Here are some photos of the venue to help give you an idea of its scope:

(some of the 'booths' were multi-level and had the footprint of a large house)

There were 10 individual buildings housing 22 different winemaking regions. The venue was the size of the Byward Market and if you tried every single wine on offer Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm, it'd take you NINE YEARS. It was enormous and there were thousands upon thousands of attendees. I thought Vinisud was big - but Vinitaly dwarfs it.

I was equipped with a stack of business cards, the Italian wine review book "Gambero Rosso", and the desire to find small(er) producers without Ontario representation with excellent products (exhibiting good typicity and flavour profiles) at a specific export price point.

So...a typical approach and ensuing conversation would sound something like this:

Me: "Hi, my name is Eric and I am an agent in Ontario, Canada. Do you currently have an agent in Ontario?"

Supplier: "Huh?? No anglese..." (with a look of utter perplexion)

or

Supplier: "Si, ____________(insert Ontario agency name)."

or

Supplier: "Ontario? No."

Me: "Great, I'm looking for a specific export price point for private importation. Do you have products in the 2-4 Euro price range?"

Supplier: "Huh?" (same look of perplexion)

So on and on it would go. Variations on that theme. Language was a barrier in most cases - but some suppliers either spoke passable english or had an interpreter of sorts on hand to help them do business.

After the initial discussion, I would typically taste their products in the price range I was after and make detailed tasting notes describing the wine's aromas, flavours, colour, etc. I would also have to evaluate the product to determine whether or not there was adequate value, typicity, etc.

After doing this for 7-8 hours for 4 days, I've tasted a tonne of wine and have a much better understanding of regional characteristics (minerals in certain soils impart a distinct aroma & flavour profile) and grape varietal characteristics.

I tried products ranging from frizzante pinot grigio (charmant method) to Franciacorta (like Champagne but aged on the lees longer and much better priced and I think tastier!!) to basic Valpolicellas to high end Barolos.

I think there will be good fits between Hexagon Wines Inc. and Tacchino (a family owned and run vineyard and winery that I might visit on my way back to Verona), Leone Conti (who is having a baby around the same time Sabrina and I are), Torre Fornello (Enrico chuckled about how when I tasted a highly alcoholic wine and looked at the bottle it indicated 13% but I looked him straight in the eye smiled and said no it's much higher...he winked at me and said 14.8%), La Viola, Danese (mass produced & inexpensive: ideal for private import), and Villa Schinosa - just to name a few.

Trip from Ottawa to Verona

I left Ottawa at about 6pm on Tuesday evening. I arrived in London, England at 6:30am local time. The flight was smooth and I watch 'It's Complicated'. I had a window seat and was able to sleep off-and-on.

(Heathrow Airport, taking the bus from one terminal to another)

I was in London for 3 hours and by this time had a full-on head cold. I picked up some medication for it and killed time.

I napped during my 2 hour flight to Vienna and had a sandwich and pop. I sat in the second last row from the rear of the plane without anyone beside me. I was a.o.k. with that!

My layover in Vienna was 7.5 hours of sitting in terminal and trying to manage my very runny nose. I tell you, it seemed to be running a marathon. My sinuses hurt and I was not a happy camper. I read, planned, and watched some Godfather (Part 1). It was a long and uncomfortable day.

Here's a picture of the plane I took from Vienna to Verona and views from my window seat:

(what a beautiful sunset - the picture really doesn't do it justice!)

As you may gather, it wasn't a quite flight (and my ears hurt due to sinus disaster unfolding in my head).

I arrived in Verona at about 9:45pm and collected my baggage. A surly security guard deemed it necessary to scan my luggage. No biggie. I collected the luggage 10 seconds later, smiled, and went on the hunt for a taxi to take me to my hotel (28 Euros). I was pooped!

I checked into the hotel and went to bed.

Vinitaly 2010

Firstly, sorry for the delay in blogging during my trip. It has been exhausting. By the end of every day, all I was interested in doing was video chatting with my wonderful wife Sabrina, have a bite to eat and hit the sack. I'll recount some of my experiences in the posts to follow.

So...I'm in Alba now (Piedmont Wine Info).

I booked a car rental before I left Ottawa and picked it up this morning a short walk from my hotel. I'd downloaded Italian maps for my Garmin (and while I was at it managed to download a fix for the constant difficulties I'd been having with my GPS device) and they proved to be accurate and immensly helpful.

The roads are in excellent condition and Italians seem to have a penchant for driving remarkably FAST. Man, they boogey! My rental is a five-speed diesel itty bitty Fiat:

I spent three hours (and 14 Euros in tolls) at roughly 125km/h (the limit was 130km/h) evading both the slow-moving stream of freight trucks and the light-speed-sound-barrier-popping BMW's, Benzes, and the like. It wasn't a boring trip! U2 is popular on the radio, as I'd come across them during my frequent station scans.

I arrived at Hotel I Castelli and am very pleased with where I'll be staying for the next two nights. Here's the view from my window:

(outstanding!!)

Here are pictures of the room:

(now THAT'S a bathroom!)

There's no construction site immediately next door here. In Verona, the jackhammers would start bright and early as they seemed to be deciding whether or not to take the building down, or simply jackhammer their way to the centre of the earth. It was very disruptive:

(my room was immediately to the right of the balcony)

I'm going to venture out into town for a bite of lunch and will post more about the past week later this afternoon.

Ciao!

Getting ready for Vinitaly

My plane leaves Ottawa tonight at 6:30pm and I head to Heathrow and then Vienna before finally arriving in Verona at 10pm at night tomorrow.

A glimpse at the weather I'll have during my stay:




Looks pretty good to me!

I've packed just about everything up and used the compression bags that Chris & Addie gave me. Wow! They really make life easier!





I've got some private orders for a Chardonnay and a Champagne to move along before I leave.

I made some Vintages submissions this morning and hope they'll be picked up!

My plan for early next week is to rent a car and head west from Verona to Alba (to enjoy some Barolo).

Going to miss Sab tonnes and tonnes (along with our little boy or girl to be!)!

Ciao!

-- Post From My iPhone

Final night in Paris

Wow, I just had a fantastic meal at the Poule au Pot.



I arrived around 9pm and was seated on a banquet immediately beside another table of 3 guests. Reminded mr a bit of Bob at Stoneface and how he'd squeeze people in wherever he could. It was cozy but comfortable.
I had french onion soup, escargots, and duck confit. I had an excellent half bottle of wine:



I finished my meal by taking Addie's advice and had the tarte tatin (and an Armagnac):



I finished things off with a coffee and the waiter graciously provided me with a pear eau de vie (kinda like grappa but better):




What a fantastic way to spend my last evening in Paris!!
Can't wait to get home tomorrow!

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Misc. Pics from Montpellier

Here are some shots I took in the past few days:

My drive to St. Chinian:









My rental car:


I parked under this square:


As I left Vinisud for the last time:


Dinner last night (the first one was so good, I had a second a few hours later):


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Last night in Paris

I've arrived by TGV and am at the same hotel I spent my first night. As I just told Sab, "Now THIS is a hotel".







Vs. the hotel in Montpellier:







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Day 6

Vinisud wrapped up today. Needless to say, my palate is fatigued.

I spent the day targeting various domains that had been recognized in a book Fred lent me describing top Languedoc producers. One of them was Domaine Gayda (http://www.gaydavineyards.com/en/home). They're currently exporting 4 containers (LOADS of wine) to B.C., but nothing to Ontario. They had an agent - but it hasn't proven to be a worthwhile relationship. Their wines are outstanding (Syrah got 86 Parker Points) and extremely good value (under $15). I'll submit a handful of them to Vintages and see what happens. If Vintages declines the submission, the opportunity still exists to bring their wines in by private order to restaurants and eventually by consignment (where I can always have stock on hand to sell to restaurants). Their packing is slick and they offer single varietal wines (instead of the usual blends from this region) which appeal to Ontario consumers. Should be interesting...

Domaine Gayda was just one of many that I met with and had interesting chats with. There are lots of things to take into consideration with the wines that I've tasted in the past three days. I'm glad I took detailed notes and have lots of follow-up work to do.

It proved to be really mentally taxing to talk to folks in french and take notes in english. My french has definitely had a good brushing up! One of the things I've noticed is the difference in the french language depending on where people are from. There were times I had to ask people to either repeat themselves or simply speak more slowly. They gracefully cooperated.

As usual, after the wine show, I returned to my 'hotel' and took a nap. I had a bite to eat upon waking up. There are small window-front sandwich vendors on nearly every street. I had a great deep fried chicken tender sandwich and fries served in a vertical white paper bag (as seems to be the custom here) with the fries poured into and on top of the sandwich. Awesome bread too (I think I might have another in a while).

I did some laundry today because I packed pretty light. It was time for clean socks, underwear and shirts for my return trip. The self-serve laundromat looked like it came from a war-torn locale of sorts. It took some careful reading on my part to start the machine. The only major glitch was that the soap dispenser seemed to be broken (at both laundromats I went to!!). So...I washed my clothes with hot water. Seemed to do the trick.

I take my car rental back to the train station tomorrow and hop on the TGV headed to Paris at 2:40pm (not gonna miss this one!!). I'll stay at the same hotel I was in for my earlier night in Paris and then take the train to CDG airport the next morning. I'll arrive in Ottawa around 11pm (if memory serves).

Can't wait to get home. I miss Canada (and Sabrina very much)!

Day 5

Firstly, I'm back at the internet cafe and I've changed a setting on the computer so that the keyboard is ENGLISH despite not being a QUERTY board. So...I'm going by feel for the most part - but it seems to be working out much better than previous evenings spent typing on keys placed in foreign places.

I just had dinner at an Asian restaurant and really enjoyed it. Most restaurants here seem to offer a three course fixed price menu. Tonight I started with some fried items: spring rolls, a tempura battered shrimp and a piece of fish wrapped in a paper of sorts and - you guessed it - deep fried. All very yummy. My main course involved a curry of sorts with shrimp and basil with a side of seasoned rice (and peas, pork, etc.). Very good! I finished my meal with some (I know, I know...) deep fried bananas. Wow!

My day involved dealing with congested traffic heading to (and from) Vinisud. I'm finding that I'm much more comfortable driving in what seems like controlled (most of the time) chaos. It has taken a couple of days to achieve this level of comfort. No close calls (phew). It is the strangest thing, however, to be sitting in gridlocked traffic and have a scooter/motorcycle whiz by me between my car and the next row of traffic. They seem to do this with reckless abandon (and manage to survive).

I tasted what seemed like an endless stream of wine today involving whites, rosés & reds. I started my morning off with Tunesian wines. Most of them were good and I think there's an opportunity to offer one of their higher end products (roughly $20CDN) as a private import for restaurants. I then moved onto French wines due to the product call coming up on March 3 involving the South of France. I had to approach the booths and ask firstly if they have representation in Ontario and secondly whether or not they'd won any medals or awards or if they'd been given any Wine Spectator reviews or Robert Parker points. I'd then try some wine, talk about price points (we need product under 4€). An intriguing process to say the least.

I pulled out my Wine Spectator issue that has the Top 100 Wines (thanks to my dear wife Sabrina - whom I dearly miss!!) and went to the section describing wines from the Languedoc (in this case it ended up being an AOC Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint Loup). It's a domain called Chateau La Roque and the woman representing the booth is originally from Quebec. She's been trying to break into the Ontario market for just over a year and was very pleased to have me taste their (highly rated 89 pts. Wine Spectator) wines. I'll submit the wines and see what happens. Here's their website: http://www.chateau-laroque.eu/ 

After having tasted lots and lots of wine, I decided to finish at about 5:30pm with some P.X. This is a sweet, fortified wine from Spain. Remarkable product in three different tiers. The colours range from golden honey to motor oil. It is a syrupy, mouth coating wine.

One more full day left in Montpellier and at Vinisud. Thursday I'm heading back to Paris by TGV and staying in the same hotel I was at upon my arrival in this fantastic country. Friday I fly home and can't wait to see Sab.

That's all for now, I guess.

Day 4

Wow, Vinisud is incredible! I tasted roughly 50 wines (and sadly spit them all) today. The size of this show boggles my mind and there is sooooo much wine to taste. I met with our existing suppliers today and also a couple of potentially new ones.

I plan on tasting wines from various countries tomorrow in the hopes of finding a rare gem that will have mass appeal at an incredible price.

I had dinner at in Italian restaurant a short walk from my hotel. It was delicious! I started with a foie gras and prosciutto salad and had beef tartar as my main course. I have a photo.

Driving around the city has proven to be exciting and challenging. I'd be in a world of hurt without Fred's GPS!!

My time at the internet cafe is about to expire so I'll sign off for now (this keyboard is killing me!!).

Day 3

I drove to St. Chinian today (1 hour each way) and took pictures along the way. I'll post pictures as soon as I can from my iPhone. It has proven to be challenging...

I'm looking forward to the start of Vinisud and the chance to meet suppliers.

Day 2 (cont'd)

I'm writing this in an internet cafe across the street from my hotel on a french keyboard. This is proving to be challenging...

So...yesterday I went to the Louvre and paid Monna Lisa a visit. Pretty neat! Afterwards, I had lunch and made my way to the train station where I proceeded to watch Inglorious Basterds on my iPhone. I also shiverred the whole time because the station is covered but open at both ends.

I hopped on my 620pm train only to find that I was sitting beside a SCREAMING baby and across from a 10 year old boy that seemed to have a penchant for kicking my feet while I attempted to sleep. Oh yes, he also had Transformers and made explosion noises while smashing them together. Awesome.

I arrived in Montpellier after the car rental place had closed and walked to my hotel using Fred's GPS unit. It took me the long way as it figured I was walking.

My 'hotel' is interesting and I'll post pictures soon.

Day 2

A bit of an exciting morning due to the fact that I missed my 9:20am train this morning because of an alarm malfuntion on my iPhone. I woke up in a panic at 10:30am. I was sure I'd set everything properly last night but seem to have made a mistake or it did something weird.

I've had to purchase another ticket and my train leaves at 6:20pm. I've dropped my luggage back at the hotel and am writing this at an Internet cafe.

I think I might head to the Louvre and make the most out of my situation. First order of business, however, involves having a coffee.

Day 1

I've been to the top and back of the Eiffel Tower. What a walk up (and down for that matter).
Here are some pics.

This one is a picture I took myself after visit to the tower.
















I'm resting my legs and having a pint and a salad at the Trocadero Cafe.
I plan on making my way to the Arc de Triomphe and then down some of the Champs Elysees. Depends how tired I am and when Fred gets into town. Wherever I end up, I'll simply hop on the metro to get back to my hotel.
So...I'm back at the hotel, and I WALKED the whole way. Tired legs!
I'm heading out again shortly to meet up with Fred at his hotel and then we'll head out for dinner.
Pictured below is the bathroom that came in handy.



L'Arc:






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my iPhone

Paris airport

I'm on the metro waiting to leave the airport. I should be at my hotel by noon (an hour from now).
The flight was a but bumpy at times but pretty smooth overall. I was able to sleep for at least a couple of hours and feel good.



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Finally Paris-bound

Finally leaving Toronto. Gonna be a long flight. Seems as though the seat beside me is empty. Yay!







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Test 4

Testing again...


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Location:King's Highway 401,Mississauga,Canada

Waiting in Toronto...

I've arrived in Toronto and am sipping on a pint of Keith's while I wait for roughly 5 hours for my Paris-bound flight.

This is the third time I'm writing the same text as I've tried to post directly from my iPhone (needless to say - unsuccessfully...). I'm getting tired of dealing with the same 'Genuis' at the Apple Store. But that's a topic for discussion on another day.

I'm excited about the trip and slept badly last night as a result. Sabrina and I did, however, have a fantastic meal at Juniper c/o Norm. Outstanding as usual!

I brought some flowers home as a surprise for Sab and got an emotion-filled phone call upon her arrival home. Anything I can do to help ease my absence for the next week.

I hope to post directly from my (less-than-perfect) iPhone but am not sure it will be possible given the technical difficulties I've already experienced.

Ahh...Keith's.  Beer good. French wine EVEN BETTER!

Chat later,

Trip Planning

The trip to France is just about completely organized. Flights are booked and tickets for the high speed train from Paris to Montpellier have been purchased. The car rental is organized and hotels in both cities have been reserved. Wow, lots of details to attend to!

I'll be posting photos taken from my iPhone and blogs daily while I'm away from the 18-26th of Feb.

Location:Thornbury Crescent,Ottawa,Canada